Cinematographic toy



.Aug.14,1928. l 1,680,659

lA. BEKESCH 'GINEMATOGRAPHIG TOY Filed Nov. 21, lzs 2 sham-snm 2 Patented Aug. 14, 1928'.

UNITED STATES*A PATENT OFFICE.

ANNA BEKESCH, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA, ASSIGNOR TO VIKTOR AND ALEXANDER MAYER, OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA.

CINEMATOGRAPHIC TOY.

Application led November 21, 1,925, Serial No.4 70,673, and in Austria December 4, 1924.

The object of the present invention is to produce a'toy cinematograph of a very Simple and yet cflicicntly operating construction, and the invention consists essentially in the provision of means whereby the feeding of the film and the winding of the same can be effected direct from a single driving shaft. For this purpose a film feeder is provided in the form of a floating bar which is controlled by springs and by a multi-cam disc on the driving shaft so as to be reciprocated in the direction of the lm and rocked at right angles to the same for co-operation with the feed apertures in the film. n

The winding of the film s effected by means of a ring-shaped spool which is suspended on the shaft in known manner and which, according to the invention, is provided with adhesion means for engagement with the film and with a supporting disc on the shaft. It should be noted that the operation of a film feeder by means of springs and eccentrics is already known. With such ecccntrics -the feed motion is very slow and means are required for shutting off the light during the motion. By the employment of a multi-cam disc, a very rapid movement can be obtained without risk of injuring the film, and a much longer time can be allotted to the actual projection.

Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a sectional side view of the machine,

Fig. 2, a section at right angles to Fig. l,

Fig. 3, a diagrammatic view showing the film feeder raised by the cam disc` and engaged in the film aperture,

Fig. 4, a similar View showing the position of the feeder after the film has been moved,

Fig. 5, a view showing the feeder disengaged from the film,

F ig. 6, a View showing theifeeder I'e-raised and in Iposition to be re-engaged with the film, 5 4 Fig. 7 is a View of a film arresting device, and

Fig. 8, a diagrammatic view showing a modification of the cam disc. The device consists of a flat upright casing lcontaining in its upper narrow part the optic system and in its lower wider and cylindrical part a film-winding chamber. 13

and a 1nulti-cam dise 4,`the latterbeing se-y cured to a driving shaft 1 fitted with an operating handle 2. The shaft 1 traverses the chamber 13 and carries, inside the latter, a

either -to the disc 14 on which a film-winding spool in the form of a ring 15 is .loosely supported. The film 12 is fed from a spool 12a on to the spool 15 which follows the movement of the disc 14 as fast as the feed motion will allow. It. will be noticed that an increase inthe diameter of the spool also increases the weight and thus the friction between it and the driving disc, the driving power being therefore at all .times proportional to the resistance. When the film is re-wound on to the spool 12a, the pressure of the spool on the disc 14 will be relieved by the upward pull, and the friction will be correspondingly reduced. Adhesion means may be applied disc 14 or to the inside of the ring 15 by way of adding to the friction. Adhesion means are also applied to the outside of the ring 15 so as to cause the end of the film to adhere readily to the same fory starting the winding without any fastening means.

The feed motion of the lilm is controlled by the cam disc 4 which for this purpose operates a film feeder in the form of a fioating bar 6. The latter has a longitudinal slot whereby it is guided on a rigidly mounted pin 5. A spring 7 exerts a downward pull on the bar which is supported on the cam disc 4 by means of a pin 8. The bar has a feeding pin 6 whereby it engages in the feed apertures of the film 12. A spring 10 acts on the bar and tends to rock it about the pin 5 so as to withdraw the feeding pin from the film. This rocking motion is con-l trolled by the cam disc in that a link 9 is pivoted at 11 to the lower end of the bar and rests by means of a pin or roller against the edge of the disc. It will be found, by reference to Figs. 3 to 6, that the bar 6, after having been lifted by one crest 3 of the cam disc, as shown in Fig. 6, is turned into engagement with the film 12 by another crest through the medium of the link 9, as shown in Fig. 3. -Then the bar drops, as shown in Fig. 4,'so as to feed the film, whereupon the cam allows the'spring 10 to disengage the pin 6 from the film, as shown in Fig. 5, and hold it out of engagement with the same while the bar is again raised for the next feeding step.

If, as in the present instance, the feeding apertures of the film are situated in the center line of the film, they must be covered as they pass the gate through which the picture is projected. This is effected by means of a bent finger 21 which rises from the bar 6 so as to cover one aperture (the one which has to pass the gate) when the pin 6 is in engagement with another.

As the feed motion is too rapid to be noticed to any appreciable extent by the eye, no obseuration of the gate is required during the film feed.

The rapidity of the feed motion may be reduced in case of need by changing theV shape of the cam crests from that shown in F ig. l to that shown in Fig. 8.

If the film has to be stopped at any particular place, this can be effected automatically by the device shown in Fig. 7. It consists of a latch 27 which is connected to a slide 29 and which is induced by a spring 28 to bear against the film. The film is provided with an aperture 30 into which the latch 27 is admitted for stopping the film at the desired place. This stopping is effected at the end of a feeding movement with disengaged feeding pin. TWhen the latter thereupon engages the next feed aperture, as shown by full lines in Fig. 7, it will be retained by the film in opposition to the spring 7, and the film will remain stationary even if the cam dise continues to move.

I claim:

l. In a toy einematograph, the combination with a driving shaft, of a film takeup spool supported on said shaft so as to be driven thereby, a film feeder operating independently of said spool, and means on said shaft for actuating the film feeder by direct cooperation with the same.

2. In a toy einematograph, the combination with a driving shaft, of a film take-up spool supported on said shaft so as to be driven thereby, a film feeder adapted to engage in apertures in the film, a cam disc on the shaft, and means enablin said cam disc to reciprocate the feeder in tiie direction of the film and'rock it in a plane at right angles thereto.

3. In a toy cinematograph, the 'combination with a driving shaft of a film take-up spool supported on said shaft so as to be driven thereby, a film feeder comprising a floating bar having a feeding pin adapted to engage in apertures in the film, a rigidly mounted pin on which the bar is guided by means of a longitudinal slot, a spring tending to pull the bar in the feeding direction, a multi-cam disc mounted on the shaft. a pin whereby the bar is supported on said dise so as to be reeiprocated thereby, a spring tending to disengage the bar from the film, and a link supporting the bar on the cam disc so as to oppose the action of said latter springr and rock the bar into and out of engagement with the film.

4. A toy cineinatograph according to claim 2 wherein the film spool consists of a ring, a supporting disc for said ringr mounted on the shaft, and adhesion means applied to said ring and supporting disc, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The structure claimed in claim 2 and a finger carried by the film feeder so as to cover the film apertures which cross the optie axis during the feeding of the film.

6. The cinematograph structure claimed in claim 2 and a spring-actuated latch arranged so as to bear against the film, the latter being provided with an aperture for engagement with said latch where an automatic. stoppage of the film is required.

In ytestimony whereof I affix my signature.

ANNA BEKESCH. 

